Many people enjoy sun bathing in the summer sun, and others enjoy tanning in tanning beds during cold winter months. While these people are often rewarded with a tan, they also risk exposure to eye damage. Such eye damage is not limited to the eye itself from UV damage, but also around the eye. Age lines can become more pronounced when exposed to long periods of UV light. Also, the areas underneath the eyes can become more darkened and mottled, thus giving one the “bags” under the eyes. Some people use sunglasses while sunbathing, which do help somewhat, but may result in the uneven and unwanted tan lines caused by the frames and the size of the glasses. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which sunbathers and tanning bed users can be protected from eye damage and uneven tanning. The development of the invention herein disclosed fulfills this need.
The protective eye shields is a pair of terry cloth towel eye patches that cover the eye and surrounding area while sunbathing or in a tanning bed. The patches would be made of suitable cloth materials such as, but not limited to, 100% Egyptian cotton permanently treated with ultraviolet radiation protection. The shields may be wetted with distilled water or similar substances to soothe the person's eyes and maintain moistness as well as help the pads conform to the profile of the eye area. The oversize shields would also protect the area around the outer edge of the eye where skin lines typically usually form. Additionally, the shields also cover below the eye where sunbathers sometimes develop darkening and dry skin. The shields can be easily washed between uses. The use of the innovative eye shields with UV radiation protection helps protect a person's eyes and surrounding area while sunbathing or tanning in an efficient, healthful and safe manner.
Several attempts have been made in the past to provide a means to protect one's eyes from harmful UV rays, either from sunbathing or tanning in a bed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,537 in the name of Hartley et al. discloses eyewear for ballistic and light protection including a lens capable of being mounted and interchangeable between a plurality of platforms, which may include goggles, spectacles, or the like. Unfortunately, the Hartley et al. design does not provide for a conformable eye shield made of cloth nor does it provide a method for moistening said shields with an atomizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,965 issued in the name of Landis provides a visor-type mask for dentists, comprising a device that attaches to the head above the eyes and a transparent shield that extends down below the mouth to prevent unwanted splatter from using dentistry handpieces. The shield is detachable for cleaning and replacement and a filter may be applied to the shield for eye protection. Unfortunately, the Landis device differs from the present invention in that it involves a detachable visor shield with an attachable UV filter to the shield, wherein the present invention utilizes a conformable cloth-like shield for direct placement thereon the eye region of the user, which has integral UV protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,284 issued in the name of Tsutomu et al. describes a white sheet cover material capable of reflecting ultraviolet rays comprising an outer surface of a colorless thermoplastic polymer material and a white ultraviolet ray-reflecting agent. The Tsutomu et al. device is not designed to be manufactured in a user-wearable fashion in the shape and fashion of an eye shield and, as such, does not provide any comfort to a user when worn. Additionally, the use of a wetting agent for the eye shield providing additional comfort to the user and supplied in a kit form.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,280 issued in the name of Edwards et al., describes an ultraviolet ray blocking textile containing ultraviolet ray deflecting, absorbing, reflecting, or scattering particles that are bound to the textile via a binding agent. The textile may be in the form of an article of clothing, an umbrella, a tent, or the like. The particles may be applied thereto the fabric before or after manufacturing the textile by immersion or spraying methods. Herein, the Edwards et al. device does not provide specifically for an eye shield made of a soft, conforming material further comprising serged or stitched perimeters for added durability and to prevent unraveling. Additionally, the present invention provides for fine particles to be introduced to the eye shields to reflect ultraviolet ray light and comes in a kit form with an atomizer for wetting said shields to provide additional comfort.
None of the prior art particularly describes a plurality of ultraviolet light reflecting eye shields in the form of oversized patches that conforms to the eye region of a user during sunbathing or tanning in a bed. Said eye shields are available in a kit form with an atomizer for wetting said shields for additional comfort and ultraviolet light reflecting properties. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of utilizing such a device.